1. Spray the ends of a few cotton swabs with your favorite perfume, and put them in a plastic sandwich bag before stashing them in your purse to touch up throughout the day.

Carrying around a bulky perfume bottle in your bag all day is impractical. But popping a few perfume-covered cotton swabs in a plastic bag (which will lock in the scents for several hours) is totally doable. That way, when you want to freshen up your fragrance midday, you just whip one out and run the scent-covered end over your pulse points (on the inside your wrists and elbows, the sides of your neck, and behind your ears and knees).

2. Mix baking soda, toothpaste, and hydrogen peroxide together to make a teeth whitening paste, and then apply it with a cotton swab.

Mix a dab of toothpaste, hydrogen peroxide, and baking soda together until you get a paste-like texture. Then, use one end of a cotton swab to wipe down each tooth so it's dry and the other to apply the paste you just made. After one minute has passed, brush the blend off with a toothbrush. Repeat this a few times a week until you've reached the desired effect.

No one likes when their lipstick bleeds, so to prevent that, dip the tip of a cotton swab in translucent powder, and sweep it along the perimeter of your mouth. The powder helps create a barrier around your lips, preventing any lip color from bleeding.

If you're dyeing your hair at home and the hair dye drips onto your neck or the side of your face, try an at-home hair dye removal paste made of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Mix the two ingredients together to create a thick paste, dip a cotton swab in the mixture, and rub it in a circular motion on the spot to remove the stain.

6. Clean the lint out of your hair dryer vent with a cotton swab. ​

To make sure your hair dryer is functioning at full capacity, regularly clean out the lint that is blocking the air flow in the back of the dryer with a cotton swab.

7. Use a cotton swab to buff out the self-tanner in spots that are prone to darken.

When applying a self-tanner, your cuticles, knuckles, knees, ankles, and elbows are likely to soak up more DHA (the ingredient that creates with the amino acids on your skin to make you tan), making you darker in those areas. To prevent this from happening, wipe away excess product before it has a chance to set it using clean cotton swabs and circular motions over those spots.

8. Stash a few cotton swabs in an old pill bottle for when you need them on the go.

Stick a few cotton swabs in an empty pill bottle that is small enough to fit in your purse and the perfect size for traveling.

9. Store your cotton swabs in an empty parmesan cheese bottle.

If you tend to spill your open box of cotton swabs, move them to an old plastic cheese shaker with an easy-to-open lid.

10. Fix a stuck zipper by rubbing shampoo on the area with a cotton swab.

Dip one end of the cotton swab in a little bit of shampoo, and rub the end along the area of the zipper that is stuck. The shampoo will act as a lubricant and will help loosen the jammed zipper.

11. Fix a scuffed patent leather shoe by rubbing a cotton swab dipped in nail polish remover on top of the scuff mark.

If your patent leather shoes are scuffed, soak the end of a cotton swab in nail polish remover, and rub the end in a circular motion on top of the mark to easily remove it.

12. Pour a bit of nail polish remover into the cap of the bottle, dip the cotton swab in the lid, and use the end of the swab to remove any polish from around your nails.

For easier access to nail polish remover when creating messy nail art, use the tip of a cotton swab and the cap of a nail polish remover bottle.